The removal of President José Heri occurred just four months after his appointment, as reported by Bloomberg.
Among the accusations against him, it is noted that Heri failed to declare meetings with representatives of Chinese businesses and was caught hiring young women without proper qualifications.
As a result of the voting, 75 members of Congress supported his removal, while 24 voted against, and three abstained. Previously, seven impeachment proposals had been filed against him, which were consolidated into one vote on Tuesday.
Thus, the new president will become the ninth head of state in Peru since 2016 and will be elected from among the members of Congress: it is expected that on Wednesday, the parliament will determine new leadership, and the new head of Congress will automatically assume the presidency.
Since 2016, Peru has seen eight presidents change, none of whom completed their term. For example, Manuel Merino was in office for only five days in 2020.
Many presidents in the country have been removed due to accusations of corruption and failure to fulfill their duties. Conflicts frequently arise between the executive and legislative branches in Peru, as the constitution grants Congress the right to remove the president for "moral incapacity" — a phrasing that can be used in political games.
Protests demanding the resignation of current leaders and fair elections regularly take place in the country.
